What is Proxy/VPN Detection Targeting?
Geo Targetly can detect whether a visitor is connecting through a proxy or anonymising service and use that as a targeting rule. This lets you block, redirect, or handle traffic differently based on connection type — for example, blocking all VPN users or excluding Tor exit nodes from a promotion.
Availability
Proxy/VPN detection targeting is available in GeoBlock only. It is not available in Geo Redirect, Geo Content, Geo Link, Geo Javascript, or any other Geo Targetly product.
Proxy/VPN Type Targeting
When building a GeoBlock location segment, select Proxy/VPN type from the location rule dropdown. You can then choose one of the five detectable connection types:
VPN — virtual private network traffic
Hosting — traffic originating from a data centre or hosting provider
Proxy — traffic routed through a traditional proxy server
Relay — traffic routed through a relay service (e.g. Apple Private Relay)
Tor — traffic exiting from the Tor network
A visitor's IP is checked against a privacy database that returns which (if any) of the above types apply to their connection. Multiple types can apply to a single visitor simultaneously.
Proxy/VPN Provider Targeting
In addition to type-based targeting, you can target by the specific Proxy/VPN provider (for example, a named VPN service). Select Proxy/VPN provider from the location rule dropdown and enter the provider name. The provider name is matched against the service name returned by the privacy database for the visitor's IP.
Provider targeting and type targeting can be combined within the same location segment. When both are present, a visitor must satisfy both conditions to match the segment.
Include and Exclude
Both rule types support Equal to (include) and Not equal to (exclude) logic:
Equal to (include) — the rule matches visitors whose connection is of the selected type or from the selected provider.
Not equal to (exclude) — the rule matches visitors whose connection is not of the selected type or from the selected provider.
Combining with Geographic Rules
Proxy/VPN rules can be used alongside standard geographic rules (country, city, IP address range, etc.) in the same segment. When combined, a visitor must satisfy both the geographic rule(s) and the proxy/VPN rule(s) to match the segment.
If only proxy/VPN rules are present in a segment (no geographic rules), the segment matches purely on proxy/VPN detection.
Notes
Detection accuracy depends on the underlying privacy IP database. Some VPN or proxy services may not be detected if their IPs are not yet classified.
Standard geographic targeting (e.g. country-level blocking) remains susceptible to VPN bypass; Proxy/VPN type targeting specifically addresses this by detecting the VPN connection itself.